Fixing Fannie and Freddie.

Tim Fernholzcounsels that the first step is admitting you need (government) help:

Were the United States to ditch federal involvement in housing finance completely, as some critics have suggested, some of the trade-offs would include rising mortgage interest rates, reduced access to home loans, and a dearth of long-term credit for home loans; not to mention that doing so immediately would lead to irrevocable economic damage. Before the meeting, participants told me they were worried that discussion would get bogged down in anti-government rhetoric. Having almost everyone but doctrinaire free-marketeers agree on the government's role was yesterday's big accomplishment.